Moldy Beans?
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
thanks for the response. yeah, I'm seeing quite a bit of mold that's made its way inside the bean. No fun
Forum Activity for @Isaac Ekblad
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Moldy Beans?
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
very common. ecuador's a terribly difficult place to dry beans properly, so a great deal of them mold. if you don't have the proper relationships and controls in place, those beans will find their way to you. there's a saying in the ivory coast that's applicable here - it roughly translates to " there's no graveyard for cocoa beans" - meaning all beans will find their way somewhere other than the trash.
Don't worry so much about surface mold - what's important is if the mold has penetrated the bean. cut 100 of them in half and if more than 5 or 6 of them are moldy inside, then you have a problem.
Moldy Beans?
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
I just bought a few kilos of beans from a local distributer and noticed that in the sack from Ecuador there were some pretty bizarre looking beans (totaling less than 10%, I would say), at least compared to other beans I've had before. Quite a few of the them had white specks on the outside/inside (mold?), were hollow or looked like they had been eaten by something, or were cut in half. There were also a handful of pea sized, shrunken beans and a few that looked like they had germinated. I'm just curious if this is common when buying beans in bulk. I added a picture below. Also, I apologize if I posted this in the wrong place. I did a search but didn't find a recent/related thread. I'm new here (and new to chocolate making). Thanks! 
updated by @Isaac Ekblad: 04/11/25 09:27:36
Chocolate Love: what first drew you to a life saturated with chocolate?
Posted in: Allow Me to Introduce Myself
You can find some brief details here .
Observing a tree at our farm during an partially immobilizinginjury and reading all about theobroma cacao got me hooked on it... now I propagate high yield clones and naturalized trees at my own nursery/farm. I do micro batches for my own consumption as roasted nibs. No chocolate yet. 
Chocolate Love: what first drew you to a life saturated with chocolate?
Posted in: Allow Me to Introduce Myself
Dirke! That is awesome! I love this stuff - it's so true of the way chocolate works, isn't it? We're just living our lives, minding our own business and suddenly we're swept away with a seemingly innocent taste.
Which turns into an idea, which turns into a fascination, which turns into a lifestyle. Thanks for taking the time to respond. I'd love to taste your chocolate sometime! Is it awine/chocolate combo?
Chocolate Love: what first drew you to a life saturated with chocolate?
Posted in: Allow Me to Introduce Myself
For me, I have always been a foodie but chocolate was just something I quickly grabbed while waiting at the check out isle at the grocery store. Until of course I did a winery tour and they offered me a tasting of ice wine in a chocolate cup. I loved the combination and of course wanted to share the experience with friends at home but couldn't find the cups anywhere. That lead me to trying to make my own and that's where I starting playing with chocolate, quickly finding it very interesting with the desire to learn more.
As I played with chocolate and discovered new combinations while learning the science behind it all, I found it a natural fit. I was so intrigued by it that I bought and read endless books about it and eventually went to school for it. My friends (aka guinea pigs) loved what I made and wanted to buy them, so I eventually built a business around it. I am lucky to have found something I am so passion about other then my family. But I am also fortunate enough to have a family that supports my crazy ways. I am a chocolatier, I love what I do. There is much more to this story but this is the general gist of it.
Cheers
Chocolate Love: what first drew you to a life saturated with chocolate?
Posted in: Allow Me to Introduce Myself
The Chocolate Tourist is all about the stories behind chocolate makers and what motivates an artisan's passion to work with beans.
For me, it all started with an atypical northern Virginia snowstorm that kept mehousebound for two days. I started experimenting withhot chocolate recipes and was suddenly seized with a burning desire to know all about chocolate - where it comes from and its cultural significance and what goes into the bean to bar process.
It's a rabbithole that so farhas not presented a bottom!
I'd love to find out where my fellow Chocolate Lifers are coming from. What's your story?
updated by @The Chocolate Tourist: 04/09/15 07:14:37
Packaging Machine
Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE
I am still trying to find this, I am starting to think it doesn't exist unless you have $30,000+ to play with. Let me know if you find anything...
Packaging Machine
Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE
Does anyone have a suggestion about a machine we can use for wrapping bars? A cold seal machine? It is ok to have it manual, but I want something to speed up production. We are trying to stay under $2000. Any advice is most welcome.
updated by @Chocolate Woman: 04/07/25 13:00:14
CocoaTown Belt Shredding
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
That sounds awful! I haven't used it enough to be able to recommend or not recommend, but the chocolate I have been making so far has turned out really good. I have to say, if I felt like there was an alternative I would certainly purchase from someone else.
CocoaTown Belt Shredding
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
My friend had this same problem, and the first time she cleaned her cocoa town, the adhesive which binds the stone to the cylinder disintegrated and it virtually fell apart. She also didn't receive great customer service. She just had a local engineer fix it for her. I'm looking at one myself, but am apprehensive. Would you recommend one other than this hiccough?
CocoaTown Belt Shredding
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
As far as I know, they don't make the power twist in the size required by the ECGC-65 (at least they didn't when I bought my replacement belts).
I concur though that for the santha's they are a must.
CocoaTown Belt Shredding
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
As has been suggested by Paul and in other discussions here on TCL, take a look at Power Twist fiberglass link belts. They don't stretch and seem to last forever. I used 3 small cocoatown melangers for a few years without having to change or even tighten the belt.
CocoaTown Belt Shredding
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Thanks, you guys - I will definitely look into getting a different belt. Moral of the story being, once you buy a CocoaTown don't plan on utilizing their customer service :)
CocoaTown Belt Shredding
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
That is the craziest thing I have heard in a long time. Any good V-Belt can handle a wide temperature range. My car back in Canada would not shred belts at -40. It seems that the alignment is not correct. I would also recommend using link belts.
Paul
CocoaTown Belt Shredding
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
This same thing happened to me after just a handful of batches. Its my experience that the folks at CocoaTown will do and say anything to not have to replace the belts on their machines. I ended up buying replacements from http://www.royalsupply.com/store/pc/viewcategories.asp (you will need to get the number off your belt to make sure you get the right size).
Good Luck!
CocoaTown Belt Shredding
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
I just used my CocoaTown ECGC-65A for the first time last week and ended up with black powder all over the floor and under the bowl that appears to be shredded rubber from the belt. I pre-ground the nibs and it was a very small batch, less than 15 lbs so there should not have been any undue stress on the belt.
When I called CocoaTown they told me it was because the room temperature in my facility is too cold (65-68F) and needs to be at least 80 degrees F. Is this true? If so, you obviously would need to have a separate heated room for the melanger.
Any insight at all would be greatly appreciated as I am so very frustrated with their customer service!
Thank you!
Nichole Warner
Just Good Chocolate
updated by @Nichole Warner: 04/11/25 09:27:36
savage bros Tempering & Molding Workstation vs the selmi top ex
Posted in: Opinion
I have SELMI LEGEND machine and works great and my recommendation for purchase. It operates automatically and does not need access to water and compressed air. Tempered melted chocolate for 10 minutes. Besides SELMI excellent machines are FBM and GAMI .
savage bros Tempering & Molding Workstation vs the selmi top ex
Posted in: Opinion
Hi Ash,
I'm not going to give you too much information.
Just ask people that use machines of a certain brand (not the people the factories tell you to go) and then you will find out which is the best deal (machine) 
Good luck !
Tom
savage bros Tempering & Molding Workstation vs the selmi top ex
Posted in: Opinion
Ash:
To be able to answer this question it would be helpful to know what kind of work you're producing - and how much.
The Savage is a batch melter/temperer and the most common size is 50 lbs, though the molding workstations are larger. In a batch temperer you temper a batch of chocolate and when you're done you temper another, a process that can easily take 30-90 minutes. Depending on the work you're doing you might do TWO batches of chocolate per day - up to about 550 pounds per day.
The TOP on the other hand is a continuous temperer with a working bowl capacity of 60kg and a nominal sustained throughput of ~180kg (400 pounds) per hour.
On the surface, there is no comparison between the two - they are very different beasts for very different applications.
As a ChocolateLife member I can offer you 10% discounts on FBM continuous tempering machines. The sheet metal is not as pretty as Selmi, but the engineering is superior and they tend to cost less Selmi.
If you can give us an idea of what you're producing and how much you produce (peak and off-peak), we can help you better understand the differences.
savage bros Tempering & Molding Workstation vs the selmi top ex
Posted in: Opinion
Hi i am looking for anyone with experience with either or both machines and if some one could point me in the direction of which one might be a better buy... Thanks I do understand that the selmi is continues feed option but any feedback would be helpful...
http://www.selmi-chocolate.it/en/prodotti.asp?id_categoria=1&id=6#specifiche
http://www.savagebros.com/p.47/chocolate-molding-workstations.aspx
updated by @Ash Maki: 04/13/15 12:48:08
Fruit purée brands
Posted in: Opinion
I have seen the same thing as you with the Boiron flavors. I haven't seen the Sicoly brand you mentioned. I was hoping someone out there had some experience with or an opinion about Perfect Pure (Napa). I am closer to CA so the shipping distance would be shorter. Otherwise, I have ordered for Albert Uster (outside of DC) and have been happy with their pure (caraman brand).I hear you about the shipping. I need to order enough to make overnight shipping worthwhile but not more pure than I can go through before it's no good anymore.I used to make some of my own pures. I found that to be too unreliable for consistency of flavor and the unreliable availability of various fruits where I live. Of course, I have lots of other things to do with my time and buying pures is soooo much easier!Thanks for the feedback.Take care,Andrea
Fruit purée brands
Posted in: Opinion
From my reading of recipes, Boiron appears to be the most widely used brand, but in the U.S. it seems to be somewhat difficult to find, at least for someone buying retail. A Google search reveals widespread availability, but when one checks more carefully, often an online store will have only a few Boiron flavors actually in stock. I've yet to find one that carries anything like the full complement of Boiron products.
I have used Ravifruit (also from France) and found it very good. Sicoly is another widely available brand--it appears to be the primary one with which some companies have replaced Boiron. Since Boiron doesn't have a significantly higher price, I am puzzled as to why suppliers are switching.
The whole question of shipping and quality is another matter, and as a small purchaser of the products, I can only trust overnight delivery to do the best job possible. I try not to think of how the pure got from France to the U.S., then from the seller's warehouse to a U.S. airport, then from Dulles Airport to my little town by truck.
You could, of course, always make your own, though you might have some slight difficulty getting a good supply of passion fruit or yuzu!
Fruit purée brands
Posted in: Opinion
Hi All,I am in need of some fruit pures and am interested to know which brands people prefer. I have a brand I already use but I haven't been going through it as fast as expected and I feel the quantity I need to order is too much. I'd like to hear which brands have great flavors and are as pure as possible (fruit and a minimal amount of sugar if possible). I use them to make fruit-flavored ganaches as well as pates and the occasional jelly (for inclusion in chocolates)Thanks,Andrea
updated by @Andrea B: 04/10/15 04:47:55
How to calculate how much chocolate enrobing for each bonbon?
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Thank you Gordon, I totally understand your method
How to calculate how much chocolate enrobing for each bonbon?
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
There is not nearly enough information here to answer your question.
FIRST: What are the dimensions of each piece? Something that is 25mm x 25mm by 5mm is going to take a different amount of chocolate than ones with different dimensions. Also, there is the viscosity and specific density of the chocolate to consider. All of these variables will have an effect on the amount of chocolate used to enrobe each piece.
Because of this, when I have done these exercises I have always worked backwards.
Start off with a known weight of centers, cover (hand dip, enrobe, what/however) them, and then weigh the finished pieces after they are fully crystallized. You probably want to cover 100 pieces to average out small differences. Weigh the finished pieces. Subtract the starting weight from the finished weight to get the amount of chocolate used and then divide y the number of pieces to get the average weight of chocolate on each piece..
How to calculate how much chocolate enrobing for each bonbon?
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Well, i reckon there's many ways to do it, and there's lots of variables. if your centers are solid enough for you to handle, why not weigh out 20 of them before and after they've been enrobed to get an average weight? If you're using liquid centers, weigh the dispenser you use for liquid centers before and after dispensing to get the mass of the centers used, then weigh the finished product, and by difference calculate your chocolate use.
If you're asking, on average, what is the normal ratio of chocolate to center that folks use in general - that's pretty large range - i'd say anywhere between 30-70% chocolate
How to calculate how much chocolate enrobing for each bonbon?
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Hi there,
If I make 40 bonbon, how to calculate how much chocolate for each bonbon? in approximately how many (g) chocolate to enrobing for each bonbon? Thank
updated by @him: 04/11/25 09:27:36
Guitar cutter
Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE
Alright! I did it. Thanks for all the invaluable info. I bought the dedy from DR.ca. once I looked at the quality of how it was built compared to the plastic based guitar I could really see why it made sense to go with the metal based base. Sure it cost a little more but you get what you pay for.
Thank you all so much for your advice and pointing me in the right direction. I feel I made a purchase I won't regret and have to resell in a short time, thanks to you. All the best!
Guitar cutter
Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE
I would advise you to cancel the order you just purchased. Way back when I bought a guitar I bought the guitar with the plastic base. It was so difficult to clean that I sold it after 2 uses and bought the Dedy from Bakedeco .Here is the link http://www.bakedeco.com/detail.asp?id=8883&categoryid=371#.U1PAnMJOX4g . This is the base only. You would need to purchase a frame to match. If you have a 5 mm base you will most likely want a 25mm frame . If you have a 7.5 mm base you will want a 22.5 mm frame.Let us know what you end up with.
Guitar cutter
Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE
I'm just checking them out now, looks good. May have to cancel and switch....cheers
Guitar cutter
Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE
Thanks for the advice Daniel, much appreciated. I just actually found one from Bakedeco (NYC) that I bought, just waiting now for the delivery. It's not metal based but it has three frames and from my research seemed fairly common place. So fingers crossed. I am really looking forward to not having to use a knife anymore! Hopefully it will last me a long time! Cheers and thanks again....Happy Easter!
Guitar cutter
Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE
Hello Dirke,
I make my living making chocolate confections and I will tell you that my confectionery guitar is one of my most important pieces of equipment. They are pricey pieces of equipment, but ultimately this tool helps me save money and make money. Several years ago when I was cutting with a knife, I would end up throwing a good amount of chocolate away because the resulting ganache was either too big or too small or funny shaped. Prior to chocolate I spent 10 years cooking in fine dining. I have excellent knife skills; however, cutting ganache is tricky and sticky and it is very hard to cut thousands of pieces into perfect squares. These days, I have very little waste and the guitar helps me produce more chocolate confections in a much shorter amount of time.
If you are looking for a confectionery guitar, I highly recommend the dedy brand from Germany. TCF sales in Texas is a great resource for these. Tom Polk who runs the company is a great guy. I have the base and just 1 frame. It cost me around $2,000 . I am not a fan of the cheaper guitars with a plastic base. They are very hard to clean and the frames that accompany them have a very cheap handle. The Dedy handle makes cutting much better and allows you to distribute your weight on the handle more evenly. The base of the Dedy is metal and it is so much easier to clean. It might be a few hundred more, but you will be glad you spent the extra money. I typically don't see a whole lot of used guitars. I would never sell mine. Whether you buy a used or new guitar, you will be very glad you made the investment! Good luck!!!
Guitar cutter
Posted in: Classifieds ARCHIVE
I am thinking of biting the bullet and buying a guitar cutter, and looking for a supplier in Canada. Anyone know of anyone? or even a used one....
Secondly, any recommendations? Double guitar or single? Pros or cons...do you find you use it enough to justify the cost? I am sure it beats using a knife but just wondering if it's worth it and would love to know your thoughts.
Thanks in advance!
updated by @Dirke Botsford: 04/07/25 13:00:14
Cocoatown Melanger Chocolate tastes like burnt rubber
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
We did a couple of batches of chocolate in the machine returned and we could not reproduce the rubber smell. We even tried using the machine in a closed room for 24 hours. We also talked to few of our customers and they do not recall having such a problem. One possibility we can think of is that the recipe you are using may be more viscous than normal and strains the belt.
Cocoatown Melanger Chocolate tastes like burnt rubber
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Clement,
As I understand it, that is true of the older machines, but they upgraded the factory belts on the Cocoatowns a while back. So, I dont not think it is the belt.
I actually sent the machine back to Cocoatown when I first received it, because it was giving off such a strong odor. They did extensive tests and said it was running fine, however it is really altering the flavor of the chocolate.
Thanks so much for your input,
Jessica
Cocoatown Melanger Chocolate tastes like burnt rubber
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Not too familiar with Cocoatown machines, but you may need to tighten the belt. Ben Rasmusen of Ptomac Chocolate recommends changing rubber belts to fiberglass. Take a look at his site or DIY on this blog. Good luck !!!
Cocoatown Melanger Chocolate tastes like burnt rubber
Posted in: Tech Help, Tips, Tricks, Techniques
Im using the recipe that I normally use in my new Melanger. Im having serious issues. Melanger chocolate tastes like burnt rubber after a few hours in the new machine.
Has anyone experienced this? Is this just because its new?
updated by @jessica@graciaschocolate.com: 04/11/25 09:27:36
I just wanted to show my new website and get some feedback!
Posted in: Allow Me to Introduce Myself
Hello Steven, as I see the page was created on www.wix.com platform which is pretty good when you have no web design/programming knowledge and would like to have an acceptable website. As an advice I would recommend you to spend a few more dollars (maybe later when business grows up) to a web designer who will be able to develop a better site and also make it responsive, which means that will show the content the same way in virtually any device, no matter how big/small is the user's screen size.
Hope you take this just as a friendly advice, and if you need any help finding a good designer, I know a couple here in Dominican Republic that could help you with that, or also you can go to www.freelancer.com and hire any person for an affordable amount.